


Dreamcatcher and the Loom of Fate

by twiceasbriight



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F, and lots of action, dc as kickass demigods, gahdong, jiubin - Freeform, siyoora, the percy jackson au that nobody asked for, there will be some spiciness, this was meant to be pg-13, whoops my fingers slipped
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:20:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28199043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twiceasbriight/pseuds/twiceasbriight
Summary: "Seven heroes called to save,The world unraveled, destiny's grave."ORThe Percy Jackson and the Olympians AU
Relationships: Han Dong | Handong/Lee Gahyeon, Kim Bora | SuA/Kim Yoohyeon/Lee Siyeon, Kim Minji | JiU/Lee Yubin | Dami
Comments: 18
Kudos: 59





	Dreamcatcher and the Loom of Fate

**Author's Note:**

> Surprise!

“You’re hogging the blankets,” Minji pouts.

“Cuddle me closer, then,” Yubin huffs, the corners of her lips curving into a teasing smile. She adjusts her grip on her book to one hand and lifts the edge of the blankets, making some extra space for Minji to join her further under the covers.

Minji smiles, affection blooming in her chest, and she scoots closer to her girlfriend. Yubin drapes the blankets over her, and Minji hums with contentment, wrapping her arms around Yubin’s narrow waist and cuddling right up against her side, resting her head on her chest.

They’re alone in the Hecate cabin; Yubin’s half-siblings are all studying at Camp Jupiter, so she has the cabin to herself. It looks much bigger than the Athena cabin, but that could just be because Minji is so used to her siblings taking up all the space, shouting and laughing, and chasing each other with brandished maps and various weapons.

Either way, Minji’s taken Yubin’s siblings’ perpetual absence as an opportunity to unofficially move in, but even if the cabin was to be more occupied, there would still be plenty of extra space for her. She isn’t sure what the children of Hecate had done to make their cabin so much bigger and more opulent on the inside, but the effect is stunning. Each queen-sized bed is tucked into its own little alcove for privacy, and is trimmed in gold and lapis lazuli. Even the mattresses have been enhanced with magic for extra comfort, somehow.

Minji is already exhausted from her training session with Siyeon earlier, and the warmth seeping into her skin from the blankets and Yubin’s body heat are only making her sleepier. Her eyelids grow heavy, fluttering as she attempts to keep them open; she can’t fall asleep, she still has duties to attend to later.

“What’re you reading today?” Minji asks in an effort to stay awake, voice heavy with sleep.

“And Then There Were None,” Yubin replies, setting her book down to run her fingers absentmindedly through Minji’s hair.

Minji’s eyelids finally close as the comforting sensation washes over her.

“Again?” Minji turns her head to the side to give Yubin better access to her hair. “How many times have you read it now?”

Yubin chuckles.

“More than I can count,” she leans down to drop a butterfly kiss to the top of Minji’s head. “But I knew you were coming by after training; I didn’t want to get into something new.”

“You’re sweet,” Minji presses a kiss to Yubin’s sternum.

“I try.” The smile in Yubin’s voice is audible. “What’s on your schedule for the rest of the day? Maybe we can do it together?”

Before Minji can reply, the door to the Hecate cabin bursts open with a thunderous _bang._

Minji’s eyes fly open and she throws herself off Yubin’s bed, diving to the floor to grab her sword, adrenaline bursting down her spine. Celestial Bronze sword in hand, she looks up, ready to spring into action.

Lee Gahyeon drops from the air in front of the threshold and sprints inside, screeching to a halt in the middle of the cabin. She’s breathless and wide-eyed, her bubblegum pink hair is windswept and messy, and she looks absolutely panicked.

“You have to come now!” Gahyeon’s voice is urgent and frantic. “Something’s happening!”

“What’s happening?” Tension surges through Minji’s veins. “Gahyeon, what’s going on? Has the camp been infiltrated again?”

Gahyeon shakes her head, gasping for breath.

“I don’t even know how to explain it,” she leans against one of the bed frames for support. “Just get to Zeus’ Fist, everyone else is already on their way. You’re the last campers I had to find; I figured you’d be at Athena’s. I’m just glad you guys are dressed.”

Minji’s so caught up in the adrenaline, the innuendo has her cheeks warming far less than it would have otherwise.

“We’re on our way.”

Minji sheathes her sword and turns to Yubin. Despite the battle mode settling into her veins and the apparent seriousness of the situation, Minji can’t help but laugh, because Yubin is sitting straight up, completely covered in a tangle of blankets, like a ghost wearing too many sheets.

Gahyeon snorts, covering her mouth with her hand.

“Yubin-ah,” Minji is apologetic as she heads over to help extricate her laughing girlfriend. “I’m sorry.”

With Minji’s help, it only takes a few moments before Yubin is free, albeit significantly more disheveled than she had been ten seconds ago.

Still laughing, Yubin rolls her eyes good-naturedly and stands. With a quick wave of her hand and a few words in Latin – Yubin’s been on a Latin kick lately – her bed is made and her shoulder-length hair is no longer sticking up in all directions.

“Okay, let’s get going,” Gahyeon says hurriedly, waving them out the door. “Run as fast as you can, okay? Whatever this is, it’s not good.”

With that, Gahyeon takes a running start and takes off into the sky, leaving Minji and Yubin behind.

“It looks like spending time together will have to wait,” Minji says, a hint of regret colouring her voice. She closes the Hecate cabin door behind them.

“We have the rest of our lives for that,” Yubin leans in to press a quick kiss to Minji’s lips, her eyes soft with affection.

“Sweet-talker,” Minji smiles into the kiss, before pulling away. “Let’s see what the danger is this time. By the sound of it, we’ll have plenty of ass to kick, and then the rest of the day to keep that clever mouth of yours busy afterwards.”

Yubin’s smile tilts into a smirk, her eyes glinting with promise.

“Yes, ma’am.”

The two of them take off into a steady sprint towards the forest and Zeus’ Fist. Minji’s mind is racing as she runs; what could _possibly_ be happening that would require the presence of every single occupant of Camp Half-Blood?

As she and Yubin run past the Big House and the training area, the edge of the forest comes into view, and Minji nearly trips over her feet in shock, because walking into the forest at a slow, stiff pace, is an Oracle-possessed Yeojin.

Sickly green Mist pours from Yeojin’s open mouth, curling around her arms and between her fingers, and rises into the air above her as she plunges into the forest.

Following behind her, headed by Chiron, is the entire population of Camp Half-Blood, keeping pace as they follow Yeojin into the forest.

_What the fuck?_

Yubin looks equally dumbfounded; neither of them has ever seen _anything_ like this. Wordlessly, they pour on the speed, urgency heightening their movement. They catch up with the back of the crowd in moments and slow down to match the pace of the campers.

Even from the very back, it’s easy to tell that tension is high and nerves are tightly-wound; the crowd is practically vibrating with it all. Conversation is in frantic, hushed whispers as they follow Yeojin into the forest as one.

Minji cranes her neck over the crowd, looking for Siyeon or any of the other members of their team. Yoohyeon would be the easiest to spot, since she’s the tallest of the seven of them, but all Minji can see are the backs of everyone’s heads between the trees. She gives up with a sigh; she’ll find them later.

“What do you think this could be about?” Yubin asks, fear simmering in her eyes. “Yeojin’s never done anything like this before speaking a prophecy. It has to be something big. Like, coming-from-the-gods big.”

“That’s what I was thinking, too,” Minji reaches out for Yubin’s hand and links their fingers. “When Gahyeon came, I thought maybe we’d been infiltrated by monsters again or something, like a repeat of what happened a couple weeks ago, but this? It has to be coming straight from the gods themselves.”

Normally, the dryads and naiads are laughing and gossiping between discussing the latest top-of-the-line weapons from Hephaestus’ new Fire Collection and the beauty tips in the newest episode of Aphrodite’s “Paradise is Where You Are” Netflix series, but as the crowd approaches the pile of rocks that makes up Zeus’ Fist, the forest is eerily silent, and the usual occupants of the trees and rivers are nowhere to be seen.

The unnatural emptiness only increases the intensity of the dread in the air. Yeojin climbs to the top of the Fist and turns to face them, eyes glowing a poisonous shade of green, and a hush blankets the crowd. Even Chiron balks before Yeojin, not daring to close the gap between him and the Fist.

Minji scans the forest as quickly as she can, searching for any threats. Her hand is tight on the grip of her sword, her body thrumming with tension.

After a few moments of terrible silence, Chiron finally speaks.

“Delphi!” He shouts, his voice booming. “What have you done to our oracle? Why are we here?”

The Oracle doesn’t respond. Not with words.

The glow in her eyes brightens with the intensity of a burning star, and a gargantuan python woven entirely from green Mist materializes behind Yeojin.

“ _Delphi isn’t here_ ,” Yeojin sneers, the Oracle’s sinister double-timbre echoing through the trees. The python rockets towards her at lightning speed, its jaw unhinging as if to swallow her whole.

_Oh, gods._

Screams and cries of fear erupt from the crowd. Minji throws herself towards Yeojin without hesitation, shoving campers aside in her desperate haste to save the young Oracle.

As Minji pushes past the last of the crowd and sprints to the base of Zeus’ Fist, an invisible force traps her legs in a vice. The inertia sends her torso flying forward, and she just barely regains her balance in time to prevent herself from crashing to the ground. Minji unsheathes her sword, looking around frantically for any visible sign of the threat.

To her surprise, Yubin and the rest of their team are spread out on either side of her, weapons and magic at the ready. The seven of them are frozen, locked in place.

Gahyeon is on her knees, like the force had ripped her out of the air and she hadn’t been able to catch herself and land in time. Siyeon’s greatsword is unsheathed, gripped tightly in both hands. A red glow simmers deep in her eyes, and her lips curl in a snarl. Bora is next to her, sword in her right hand and shield in her left, her own eyes beginning to surge with silver-pink power. Handong is on Minji’s other side, vines winding down her shoulders and bare arms, and sprouting sharp thorns like spiky armour. Yoohyeon’s guitar is strapped to her back, an arrow nocked in her bow, like she couldn’t decide which weapon to pull out first, and Yubin is next to Minji, her hands empty save for the writhing purple-black magic forming above her palms.

The seven of them exchange quick, fearful glances, eyes wide and filled with the horrifying sense of something bigger and more dangerous than any of them could have imagined knocking at their door.

“ _You!”_ Yeojin spits, addressing them all. Mist spills from her open lips and the python doubles in size, looming above her, its fangs bared and dripping Mist like poison. “ _Bear witness!”_

Frozen in place and rapt with horror and awe, Minji, her team, Chiron, and the rest of Camp Half-Blood are helpless but to obey.

A ghastly, twitching smile spreads Yeojin’s lips, and Minji shudders at how _wrong_ it looks on Yeojin’s innocent face. Yeojin’s head tips back to the sky, Mist curling around her arms and between her fingers. Her mouth falls open, her jaw hanging limp, and the voice of the Oracle comes forth with a terrible, awful finality:

_“A stolen weaving_

_A mother scorned_

_Cunning and wisdom_

_Long forlorn_

_Seven heroes called to save_

_The world unraveled, destiny’s grave_

_One of blood, a wolf of war_

_One of green and curling thorns_

_A lethal beauty, silver tongue_

_One of song and blinding sun_

_One of study and magic found_

_A burst of light and skies unbound_

_And one to lead the battle nigh_

_Of spear and sword and wisdom’s cry_

_A house of gold_

_A broken rift_

_A suited king_

_A mother’s gift_

_A shifting maze_

_A mourning sea_

_A broken maker_

_Melted wings_

_Three to bow_

_And four to find_

_A forest cave where secrets lie_

_Seven to gather, seven to greet_

_Counsel dark and fractured sleep_

_To fight betrayers, reopen the gate_

_These tangled threads, the loom of fate.”_

As the last words fall from Yeojin’s lips, seven green spikes of lightning made of Mist burst from the python, and shoot towards them. One arcs towards Minji and strikes her in the chest. There’s no impact; it’s Mist, after all, but Minji’s heartbeat thunders in her ears regardless, and her sword nearly drops from her shaking fingers.

Swallowing hard, she looks around at her team, and her shock grows, because each of the seven of them are glowing that bright, sickly green, the fork of lightning piercing through the center of their chests, connecting them to the python.

_Holy shit._

Without warning, the Oracle’s essence vanishes. The python, the lightning, and the accompanying Mist dissipate into the air and the glow winks out from Yeojin’s eyes like a dying star. Like a marionette cut from its strings, Yeojin collapses and tumbles over the edge of the Fist.

The spell over the campers is broken, and panicked cries of Yeojin’s name fill the air. The force locking Minji in place disappears, and, throwing her sword to the side, she lunges forward to catch the Oracle, or at the very least, break her fall. Before she can get there, though, an enormous bed materializes under Yeojin.

Minji whips her head around to see Yubin stagger as she runs towards them, violet-black magic curling around her fingers.

_Thank the gods._

Yeojin hits the bed barely an instant later, her limp body bouncing on the mattress several times from the impact.

Chiron gallops up to the bed, unslinging his healer’s pouch.

“Stay back,” he orders, his voice tense and eyes tight with worry. “And return to your cabins. We’ll discuss this at dinner.”

A chorus of protest rises from the worried campers, but they obey; it’s clear they’re terrified, both from the prophecy and for what’s happened to Yeojin, and Minji is feeling it too. Her heartbeat has yet to slow down, and her breaths come rough and ragged as she surveys her team.

Bora, Siyeon, Handong, Yoohyeon, Yubin, and Gahyeon all look equally stricken, equally out of breath and afraid.

_The lightning – dear gods, are we the seven in the prophecy?_

Dizzy and panicked with the implications, Minji bends and rests her hands on her knees, tucking her neck into her chest.

“You, seven,” Chiron turns from tending to Yeojin to address them.

Minji looks up at him, bright spots flashing in her vision.

“Meet me in my office in thirty minutes,” he says grimly. “We have much to talk about.”

Carefully, he picks up an unconscious Yeojin and canters back towards the camp.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Minji enters the Big House with the rest of her team in tow. The seven of them are pale, faces harried with tension.

Their walk back to camp had been fraught with a writhing tangle of disbelief, horror, and fear, and they had barely exchanged more than a few quick phrases on the way. Minji spent the walk trapped in her own head, her mind racing in what felt like a million different directions all at once, trying to interpret the lines of the prophecy, to understand what exactly had taken over Yeojin, to come to terms with the fact that she and her team, her closest friends, had been marked by the python’s green lightning.

Yubin is accustomed to Minji’s mind running away from her, so she had simply given her hand a quick squeeze, a little _I’m here_ reminder, and walked with her side-by-side, ruminating over her own thoughts. Bora, Siyeon, and Yoohyeon, normally most of the loudest members of their team, had been uncharacteristically silent, as had Gahyeon and Handong.

As the seven of them crowd into Chiron’s office on the second floor of the Big House and wait for him to return from the infirmary, Minji gives her members a once-over. Now that they’re back and ready to talk to Chiron, the next step to understanding what had happened at Zeus’ Fist, Minji’s mind begins to calm, and she can more easily focus on looking after her teammates.

Bora’s eyebrows are furrowed, and she chews on the bow of her lower lip. Her hands are empty, her sword and shield have returned to their non-magical forms and are stowed in her pockets, although her right hand is currently being occupied by Siyeon, who is gently pinching the soft skin between her thumb and forefinger. Her hands are also bare of weapons, her greatsword hanging from her neck in its wolf claw form.

Siyeon’s hands are so much bigger than Bora’s, and Siyeon is so much taller than her, that to see them standing next to each other like this is endearing. Bora’s other arm is wrapped around Yoohyeon’s waist and tucked into the pocket of Yoohyeon’s skinny jeans on her other side. Yoohyeon’s guitar, bow, and quiver all crowd together on her back, strapped to her narrow frame, and her head tilts to the side to rest on Bora’s, her hands resting on the back of one of the office chairs.

Gahyeon’s sword has returned to her hip, and little sparks jump between her fingers with anxiety. Handong gently pulls Gahyeon closer to her, wrapping her arm around her and murmuring words of comfort to her in Mandarin, tiny vines winding around her wrists.

And Yubin is next to Minji, still slightly winded from the expenditure of power that had created the bed to save Yeojin. The sleeves of her oversized sweater are rolled up, and she’s looking blankly at Chiron’s desk in a way that Minji recognizes as her running through vocabulary for her spells in her head to help calm her mind. The only indication that something is amiss is Yubin’s tightening grip on Minji’s hand, her knuckles white with the pressure. Minji presses a kiss to Yubin’s hair, stroking the back of her hand with her thumb.

The tension in the room simmers as they wait, none of them daring to break the silence, although Bora does begin to bounce on her toes, unable to restrain her excess energy.

Chiron returns several minutes later in his wheelchair and carefully maneuvers his way around the seven of them to sit behind his desk. Minji meets his eyes; he looks exhausted, deep purple circles ringing underneath his eyes.

Bora and Gahyeon open their mouths at the same time, ready to pelter the centaur with questions, but Chiron holds up his hand for silence before the words even make it past their lips.

“I know you’re afraid,” he begins, his voice grave, “but we don’t have a lot of time for questions. I’m going to tell you what I know, and then we can discuss, but it has to be fast.” He looks at them regretfully for a moment, before clearing his throat.

“As you may have noticed,” he says wryly, “the oracle that possessed Yeojin was not Delphi. I’m baffled as to how this was accomplished, as Yeojin’s only link to prophecy is through Delphi, but I believe the intruding oracle was the Python.”

Minji’s jaw drops.

“As in, _the_ Python?” Yoohyeon chokes out, eyes wide. “Enemy of Apollo?”

“The same,” Chiron nods. “His presence would also explain the lengthy nature of the prophecy; as you are aware, Delphi’s are considerably more…succinct.” He shifts uncomfortably in his wheelchair. “As you know, the gods are, unfortunately, as tight-lipped as ever, especially since Mr. D returned to Olympus, but if what this prophecy speaks to is about to come to pass, I am extremely grateful that they allowed us such a detailed prophecy.”

“I will go over the basic gist of it, since it involves knowledge of the old gods, and then the eight of us can parse the rest together.” Chiron looks around at the seven of them. “Some of the references are harder to figure out than others, so any contributions you have will be immensely valuable. The more details we can figure out, the easier your quest will be.”

“So, it is about us?” Gahyeon asks, her voice small and childlike.

“It appears so, yes,” Chiron says, lacing his fingers together. “The Python was quite blatant; he did not leave room for doubt. If the lightning was not a big enough hint, the words of the prophecy certainly are.”

Gahyeon swallows hard, her cheeks burning with shame, eyes downcast. Minji’s heart wrenches; she would have asked, too, just in case, just to be absolutely certain. She nearly yells at Chiron for being so brusque; Gahyeon is clearly just afraid. Handong’s eyes blaze, her fingers wrapping around Gahyeon’s arm comfortingly. She parts her lips, ready to tell Chiron off, but the centaur doesn’t give her a chance to speak.

“Before the gods were born,” Chiron continues, “the Titans ruled. The Titan goddess Metis’ domains were cunning, wisdom, counsel, and planning, domains that are now ruled by Athena,” he nods in Minji’s direction. “I believe the prophecy speaks of her as ‘the mother scorned, cunning and wisdom, long forlorn.’ She appears to be mentioned twice, once at the beginning of the prophecy with this phrase, and once at the end, with ‘counsel dark.’”

“So, Metis has been corrupted somehow?” Minji frowns. “Or turned dark?”

“Dark, or desperate,” Chiron sighs heavily. “From what I can discern between the lines, Metis is likely fading away, much like Pan did not too long ago. Athena has taken up her former domains so thoroughly, Metis has no living worshipers and her power is all but gone. ‘A stolen tapestry’ is mentioned at the beginning of the prophecy, and is named the loom of fate outright at the end. I believe Metis has conspired to steal the loom of fate so she can weave herself a new fate so she can live.”

“How is that _possible_?” Yubin breathes shakily. “The Fates –”

“If the Fates are found and captured, their loom would be easy prey,” Chiron leans back in his chair. “I hope you understand how deadly serious this is; if Metis gets her hands on the loom, she won’t just stop with reclaiming her power and her followers. The destruction she could weave – I am loath to even consider the implications. The prophecy even declares it outright, ‘the world unraveled, destiny’s grave.’ There would _be_ no future.”

“Fuck,” Minji presses her hand to her mouth, her lips trembling and lungs tight.

_This can’t be real._

“Most prophecies are frustratingly vague,” Chiron continues. “So, we are very fortunate that we’ve been given one that is relatively easy to discern overall. Even if Python had not struck you, the prophecy practically points to the seven of you as those chosen for the quest by name.”

“’One of blood, a wolf of war,’” Minji recalls, her perfect memory recall kicking in. “That has to be Siyeon. No other children of Ares have also chosen a wolf as their patron. ‘One of green and curling thorns’ – definitely Handong, nobody commands them like her.’ A lethal beauty, silver tongue’; both describe Bora. Plus, she’s the only charmspeaker in the Aphrodite cabin.”

“Good,” Chiron nods.

“’One of song and blinding sun,’” Yoohyeon pipes up. Her memory is almost as good as Minji’s. “That one has to be me. “’One of study and magic found,’ that has to be Yubin. With her siblings gone, she’s the only daughter of Hecate in the camp, and she never stops studying magic.”

Yubin smiles wryly; it’s true, Yubin is constantly working and practicing her magic, always striving to master her spells and control her abilities, especially after –

“’A burst of light and skies unbound,’” Yubin continues, bringing Minji back to the present. “It’s definitely Gahyeon, neither Haerim nor Soeun can fly like her. ‘And one to lead the battle nigh, of spear and sword and wisdom’s cry,’” she looks up at Minji, a small smile curving her lips. “It’s you.”

Minji knows to it be true; she feels it in her bones, but she’s still so stunned, still so in shock from it all, she can barely wrap her head around it.

“H-how am _I_ supposed to lead the battle?” She asks, uncharacteristically deprecating, her own voice tiny and disbelieving.

 _How does one even_ lead _a battle?_

“You lead it well,” Chiron says, looking at her with a touch of sympathy in his eyes. “We have the bare bones of the quest: stop Metis from stealing the loom and destroying the world,” he continues. “Let’s get to the remaining details.”

“There are three subjects in the third part,” Minji refocuses her thoughts with effort. She can’t afford to let herself spiral into panic. “The house of gold and suited king…Could that refer to King Midas?”

“I believe so,” Chiron nods. “The fourth stanza also refers to ‘three to bow,’ I assume that means three of you are meant to go find him.”

“What about the broken rift and mother’s gift?” Siyeon asks, fingering the wolf claw at her neck with her free hand.

“I’m…not sure,” Chiron admits. “It’s likely that the meaning will be uncovered as you progress in the quest.”

“The shifting maze and mourning sea part,” there’s a note of enthusiasm in Bora’s voice now, like talking their way through the prophecy and figuring it out together has restored some of her boundless energy. “That sounds a lot like the Labyrinth.”

“Especially the ‘broken maker, melted wings’ line,” Handong adds, playing with Gahyeon’s fingers.

“Very good,” Chiron says approvingly.

“The ‘three to bow and four to find’ part; it looks like we’ll be splitting up,” Gahyeon notes. “How will we decide who goes where? The prophecy doesn’t specify.”

“I don’t believe it matters,” Chiron answers. “You’re free to decide how you want to split yourselves up. Based on the first line in the last stanza, ‘seven to gather, seven to greet,’ you’ll be meeting up together before the confrontation with Metis.”

“The last three lines, though,” Yubin muses darkly. “I don’t like the sound of them. ‘Fractured sleep, fight betrayers?’ Metis isn’t working alone.”

The room falls silent at the implications. Minji’s grip on Yubin’s hand tightens with the tension of it; the idea is practically unfathomable.

“Who could they be?” Yoohyeon asks, her eyes wide. “Other gods?”

Chiron leans forward, resting his elbows on his desk.

“Fractured sleep,” he mutters, tilting his head to the side. “My best guess would by Hypnos, god of sleep. Perhaps he is fading, too, and has chosen to ally with Metis in exchange for his power back. As for the rest,” he shrugs. “I am uncertain, but I have no doubt you’ll come across them on the quest.”

“Hypnos?” Gahyeon inhales softly. “We have children of Hypnos here. They probably think their dad is an okay guy, for a god, and he could be working to bring about the end of the world!” The blood drains from her face. “We have to tell them! We have to –” 

“We cannot,” Chiron interjects sharply. “We have no proof, and my guess is just that: a _guess_. If I am wrong, we will have wrongfully accused a god of treachery and needlessly turn his children away from him.”

Gahyeon presses her lips together until they’re white and bloodless, her hands shaking with suppressed emotion.

“So, what _do_ we do, then?” Handong retorts, anger audible in her voice.

“Go on the quest,” Chiron says firmly. “Split up. Find Midas, find whatever secret lies in the cave, and stop Metis.”

“You make it sound so simple,” Gahyeon laughs bitterly.

Chiron spreads his hands helplessly.

“It is what it is,” he says regretfully. “Last I heard, Midas’ mansion is somewhere in Manhattan, in the wealthiest suburb. As for the cave, I cannot help you with the location, but if the cave is the one I am thinking of, I believe one of the campers will be able to.”

“Which camper?” Minji asks through gritted teeth. Fury at Chiron burns in her chest; she’s never seen him so cold.

“Son Hyejoo,” he answers. “Daughter of Hades.”

Minji’s eyes widen; she knows her. They all do.

“Okay,” Minji nods. “I’ll find her later.”

“Good,” Chiron folds his arms on his desk. “Please prepare your weapons and your gear and rest up. I’ll have someone bring dinner to the seven of you, so you won’t have to sit through the chaos at the pavilion.”

“Thank you,” Minji says, surprised.

“It’s the least I can do,” Chiron waves her off. He peers into Minji’s eyes for a moment. “As I understand it, you’ve moved into the Hecate cabin, is that right?”

Minji’s eyebrows shoot up, her cheeks burning pink. She looks over at Yubin, whose cheeks are equally flushed.

“Yeah,” she says awkwardly, shifting her weight.

“Perfect,” he smiles approvingly, and Minji’s eyebrows climb even higher with disbelief. “I’ll have your dinner sent there, there will be lots of room for all of you to eat together before you go to sleep.”

“Thank you?” Yubin’s normally deep voice is high-pitched and a little strangled.

Despite the direness of the situation, the tension in the room lightens; the seven of the have to do their best to suppress their laughter.

“You’re welcome,” Chiron says. “Now, off you go. You have a lot to prepare before you depart in the morning.”

Minji gives the centaur a quick wave, before turning and opening the office door.

“Hold on one moment, Gahyeon,” Chiron says. “I apologize for my rudeness. I am extremely on edge right now and I was short with you. It was entirely undeserved; I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Gahyeon offers Chiron a small smile.

Chiron smiles back.

The seven of them file out of the office, closing the door behind them, and head outside the Big House.

“That was –” Siyeon breaks off, shaking her head.

“Unreal,” Yoohyeon finishes. “I barely know what to think.”

“I feel the same,” Handong says quietly. “I’m very overwhelmed.”

“Me, too,” Minji admits. “We should take a breather before we do anything, take some time to process.”

“Good idea,” Yubin agrees, gently bumping Minji’s hip with hers.

“So, what time should we meet at Hecate?” Bora asks.

“Dinner starts at six, so maybe six fifteen?” Gahyeon suggests. “That way, we’ll get there at around the same time as whoever is bringing our food. It’ll take them time to grab it from the kitchens and bring it up there.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Minji says. She brushes some stray hairs off Gahyeon’s face. “You were great in there,” she smiles affectionately, before looking at the rest of her team. “All of you.”

Gahyeon flushes pink, pleased.

“You, too, Minji,” Bora squeezes Minji’s arm with a smile, before beginning to back away. “I’d better get going and start gathering my things, before Doyeon starts thinking she can borrow my lipstick grenade collection while I’m away.”

Minji laughs.

“Good luck!”

“I’ll need it!”

“Come on, Yoohyeon-ah,” Siyeon laces her and Yoohyeon’s fingers together. “I’ll help you start getting your things together; I don’t have as much stuff to bring.” She gestures at the weapons and equipment crowding Yoohyeon’s back.

“Thanks, Singnie,” Yoohyeon beams.

The two of them head off towards the Apollo cabin.

“Dongie, I’ll come with you, I’ll help you find your emergency stash of combat seeds,” Gahyeon offers.

“Okay, baby,” Handong smiles widely. “I’ll check with Seojeong before we start looking; she might know where they are.”

“Perfect.”

They’re an interesting pair, Minji thinks affectionately as she watches them walk away: one born of the sky and one of the earth, a match truly made in heaven.

“Do you want me to help you get your travel gear from the Athena cabin?” Yubin asks, wrapping her arm around Minji’s.

“It’s okay, Yubinnie,” Minji shakes her head. “I’ll only be a few minutes, and then we can continue where we left off earlier.” A playful smile tilts her lips.

“I like the way you think.”

They walk together up to where the path branches off to the various cabins, enjoying the comfort of each other’s presence.

As they step up to the multi-tined fork in the path, Minji cups Yubin’s jaw in her hands, pressing a quick, gentle kiss to her lips. The kiss doesn’t stay gentle for long, though, Yubin parts her lips to sink her teeth into Minji’s lower lip, and she gasps against Yubin’s mouth, fireworks exploding under her skin.

Minji closes the distance between her and Yubin’s bodies, using her height to get a better angle to slip her tongue into Yubin’s mouth, licking at the sensitive skin behind her upper teeth. Yubin whimpers, her hand coming up to wrap around Minji’s waist and pull them flush against each other, and it’s at that very moment, that Minji remembers exactly where they are.

With an effort of extreme self-control and with no small amount of regret, Minji breaks the kiss, breathing hard.

“You taste so fucking good, baby” Yubin breathes, running her thumb over Minji’s kiss-swollen lower lip.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Minji nearly chokes on her tongue, nearly gives in and follows Yubin back to her cabin, quest preparation be damned. She closes her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply, and with an effort of extreme self-control, tamps the fire in her veins down to a gentle simmer. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, I promise.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Yubin’s lips tilt in a lopsided smirk, a wicked glint in her eyes. She gives Minji a tap on the ass and a wink as she walks away.

Minji does her best to chase away the heady want clouding her thoughts as she approaches the Athena cabin; her siblings are way too astute and they’ll easily detect exactly how flustered she is if she’s not careful.

Luckily, though, as Minji opens the door to the cabin, it’s relatively quiet, and most of her siblings are nowhere to be seen. Her old bunk is currently unoccupied; no new Athena kids have been claimed yet, and Minji knows that Suyeon, her second-in-command, is loath to take the cabin leader’s bunk for herself, even though Minji isn’t using it anymore.

Minji steps past the rows of bunk beds and into the back room where the library and map rooms are. To her surprise, they’re relatively deserted too. She pokes her head through the library threshold to see Suyeon curled up on one of the bean bags, poring over a book. Her second looks enthralled by whatever she’s reading. Minji smiles fondly, before withdrawing and heading deeper into the cabin, to the storage room.

Opening the door and flicking on the light, it only takes a moment for Minji to find her gear. The pack is exactly where she had left it after the monster invasion several weeks ago. She picks it up, admiring the heft of it, before switching off the light, closing the door, and heading back out.

“Minji!” Suyeon is standing at the threshold of the library, her voice deep and eyes filled with worry. “Hey. Are you okay?”

“I think so, yeah,” Minji smiles wryly. “It’s been a crazy day.”

“Crazy doesn’t even begin to describe it,” Suyeon laughs. “Rumours are exploding through camp already about it all. I saw you get hit by that creepy lightning; what’s going on?”

Minji hesitates initially, not wanting to worry her second, but Suyeon’s eyes are sincere and determined; it’s clear she wants to help, and Suyeon would know if Minji tried to keep anything from her. She wouldn’t dare; Suyeon is her best friend in the Athena cabin, her most trusted sibling and warrior, and their bond and years of trust has Minji wanting to tell her everything and get her input.

Minji explains everything as quickly and as quietly as she can, making sure nobody is around to overhear them. When she’s done, Suyeon rocks back on her heels and leans against the wall, her jaw open in shock.

“Holy shit,” she breathes. “Holy _shit_ , Minji.”

“I know,” Minji adjusts her grip on her pack. “What do you think?”

“It sounds like a clusterfuck,” Suyeon is brutally honest, as always. “But there’s nobody in this camp better equipped to handle this better than you, you know that? There isn’t a single demigod, a single cabin leader here who can do what you do.”

Minji shakes her head, an embarrassed smile pulling at her lips.

“Listen to me,” Suyeon says firmly, gripping Minji’s arm. “That prophecy chose you for a reason. And it didn’t just choose you to participate, it chose you to _lead_. That says a lot, and you know it, so stop being so self-deprecating for fuck’s sake. You’re a leader, it’s who you are. You do it every single day; you’ll just be just leading a little differently this time, that’s all.”

Suyeon’s words are like a balm on Minji’s heart, calming her fears and her nerves. Gratitude and affection for her half-sister surges in her chest, and she wraps Suyeon in bear hug, squeezing tightly.

“Thank you,” she says, smiling.

“You’re welcome,” Suyeon grins. “Good luck!”

Minji turns around and heads towards the door.

“Don’t kill anyone while I’m gone,” she calls over her shoulder.

“No promises!” Suyeon shouts back with a laugh.

Minji snorts.

By the time Minji arrives at the Hecate cabin, it’s almost five-forty-five. Her conversation with Suyeon had taken longer than she’d anticipated, and she winces at the thought of keeping Yubin waiting so long, especially after promising to be back after only a few minutes.

“Yubin?” Minji calls as she closes the door behind her.

There’s no response.

Frowning, Minji checks Yubin’s bed. A handwritten note is perched on Yubin’s pillow. Setting her gear down next to her dresser, Minji sits on the edge of Yubin’s bed and unfolds the note.

_Minji-ah,_

_I’m in the shower, I’ll be out soon._

_I love you,_

_Yubin_

Heart warm, Minji places the note back on Yubin’s bed and is seriously considering joining her girlfriend in the shower, when the note suddenly begins to move.

Rapt, Minji watches as the note folds itself into an origami rose. Minji’s cheeks flush and her heart flutters in her chest, and she looks up to see Yubin, approaching from the bathroom at the back of the cabin with a smile on her lips, her fingers still casting.

Yubin’s hair is wet from the shower and is tied up in a messy bun at the back of her head. She’s wearing an off-the-shoulder oversized t-shirt exposes the sharp curve of her collarbone, and a pair of her comfiest sweatpants, and Minji’s gaze zeroes in on her exposed skin, want blooming in her chest.

“Hi, there, pretty,” Yubin’s smile widens.

“Hey, baby,” Minji gestures for Yubin to join her on the bed.

To her surprise, Yubin straddles her, wrapping her arms around Minji’s back and bringing their foreheads together. Minji’s heartbeat triples at their proximity, and her hands come up to support Yubin’s back, stroking at the soft skin at the nape of her girlfriend’s neck.

“’I’m sorry I took so long,” Minji presses a kiss to Yubin’s exposed shoulder in apology. “I ran into Suyeon.” She presses another kiss to Yubin’s shoulder, and then another, greedily inhaling Yubin’s clove-and-spice scent. She trails a path of butterfly kisses from Yubin’s shoulder up her neck, nibbling at Yubin’s pulse-point.

Yubin’s breath catches in her throat, and she tilts her head to the side to allow Minji better access.

“What did she say?”

“She wanted to know what was going on,” Minji says between kisses. “She saw me get hit by the lightning.”

“Did you tell her?” Yubin’s voice is getting breathier, a high-pitched whimper escaping her parted lips when Minji sucks a mark into the underside of her jaw.

“Yeah,” Minji pauses her ministrations to meet Yubin’s eyes. “Do you think I shouldn’t have?”

Yubin takes a deep breath to compose herself, and then shakes her head.

“I think it’s good you told her,” she reassures, running her fingers through Minji’s hair. “She’s your sister, not to mention one of your best friends, and she’s really insightful; I’m sure she had some good advice for you.”

“She did,” Minji says. “I feel better now that I’ve talked to her.”

“I’m glad,” Yubin cups Minji’s jaw, stroking her cheekbone with her thumb.

Minji smiles and closes the distance between them to capture her girlfriend’s lips with hers.

“I believe,” Minji flips them over so Yubin is on her back on the bed and she’s on top, want pulsing through her veins and between her thighs. “That we have some lost time to make up for.”

The corner of Yubin’s lips tick up into a smirk.

“We do, indeed.”

They don’t end up making up for their lost afternoon, though, because there’s a knock at the door to the cabin. Minji keeps kissing Yubin, sucking lazily on her tongue and stroking the soft skin of Yubin’s waist, hoping that whoever it is will disappear so she can keep kissing her girlfriend.

To their dismay, the knocking continues.

With a groan and a supreme effort of will, Minji climbs off the bed, her lips kiss-swollen, cheeks flushed, and knees weak, and opens the door.

To her surprise, Handong and Gahyeon are waiting outside. Handong takes one look at Minji’s face and snorts.

“Sorry to interrupt,” she laughs. “I’m guessing you guys lost track of time. It’s almost six-fifteen.”

“God _damn_ it,” Minji grumbles. “Oh well, come on in.

She steps to the side, holding the door open for the two of them. Handong and Gahyeon enter, and Minji closes the door behind them.

“Hey, Yubin,” Handong teases. “It looks like you got your girlfriend in a state here.”

Yubin groans, covers her eyes with her hand, and flips Handong off.

“It’s okay, you’ll have time to get back to it after we leave,” Handong is audibly suppressing laughter.

Yubin throws a pillow at her.

“Hey!”

Their antics are interrupted by another knock at the door.

“That must be the others,” Handong says, heading over to open it.

“Thank the gods,” Minji mutters, relieved. Maybe Handong will stop her teasing and let Minji recompose herself.

Bora, Siyeon, and Yoohyeon enter, chorusing various greetings. They’ve all switched into more comfortable clothes, and Minji realizes with a start that she’s the only one still dressed in the clothes she’d been wearing during the prophecy disaster. She’d meant to change, she really had, but she and Yubin had gotten so caught up in kissing and touching, and she hadn’t even taken her clothes off, let alone put new clothes on.

She grabs a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, the ones she knows Yubin likes on her, and excuses herself to the bathroom to change. It only takes a minute; Minji’s always been good at getting ready quickly, especially during night drills.

The effort to change is worth it, because as Minji rejoins her team, Yubin visibly swallows, her eyes wide and glued to Minji’s legs.

A small smile of satisfaction on her lips, Minji drops down on the bed next to her girlfriend, wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Fuck,” Yubin breathes, just loud enough for Minji to hear.

Minji lowers her mouth to Yubin’s temple, her lips just barely brushing the shell of her ear.

“We’ll continue where we left off after this, I promise.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

With that, the two of them do their best to clear their heads and engage with their teammates while they wait for their dinner to arrive.

Barely five minutes pass, before there’s another knock at the door. Bora clambers off Siyeon’s lap to answer it.

She opens the door to reveal Hyojung and Doyeon. The two of them are carrying platters laden with food, and Minji and Yubin quickly get up to help them carry everything inside.

“Thanks, guys,” Minji smiles gratefully. “We really appreciate it.”

“No worries,” Hyojung grins, carefully placing the platters on one of the tables in the little eating area in the back. Hyojung’s black hair is almost blue under the lights of the cabin, and her smile wide and blinding, and Minji can’t help but admire how brightly she shines for a daughter of Nyx.

“Do you and Doyeon have any plans for the evening?” Minji asks, helping her with another platter.

Hyojung shrugs. “I think Doyeon wanted to just relax and watch Netflix tonight,” she says. “We had a rough shoot this morning, we only got back a couple hours ago.”

Hyojung and Doyeon are several of the demigods at the camp who have jobs in the mortal world. The two of them are supermodels, famed for their breathtaking visuals and chemistry on set, especially during their couple shoots. One of the photos of the two of them kissing in front of the New York skyline has even been nominated for a Pulitzer.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Minji says sympathetically. “What happened?”

“Stylist problems,” Hyojung rolls her eyes. “But once that was resolved, everything went smoothly.”

“I’m glad to hear that, at least,” Minji smiles as she places the last platter down. “I hope you and Doyeon enjoy your date.”

“We will, thank you!” Hyojung beams.

Minji, Yubin, and Hyojung return to the rest of the group, who are talking and laughing with Doyeon; she’s Bora’s favourite sibling, and she’s always gotten along well with the rest of the team.

“I have a very tired, very hard-working girlfriend to shower with attention,” Doyeon smiles widely at Hyojung, extricating herself from the center of the group and linking her and Hyojung’s fingers. “Good luck, you guys,” she says, suddenly serious. “Stay safe, okay? Especially you,” she looks pointedly at Bora.

“We will, I promise,” Bora holds up her pinky, curling it like a promise.

“Good.”

“Bye, guys,” Hyojung waves. “Kick some extra ass for me!”

Minji laughs.

“We will!”

With a final wave, the two of them exit the cabin, leaving Minji and her team to themselves.

“Let’s eat, guys,” Minji prompts, her stomach rumbling. “I’m starving.”

“Me, too,” Siyeon agrees, standing up and heading to the tables.

Minji isn’t surprised at all; Siyeon trains and exercises constantly, she’s always hungry. The others follow suit, climbing to their feet and walking towards the back.

The tables aren’t very big, so they push them together to make a single large one big enough for the seven of them. It takes a few moments for the food to be divvied up; Minji is careful to serve the members equally large portions, before taking some for herself.

The food is perfect; it’s magical, after all, so it never disappoints, and Minji devours her portion with enthusiasm. She hasn’t had much opportunity to eat today, and with the stress of the prophecy, she hadn’t realized how hungry she actually was until now.

“So,” Bora says as the last plate is cleared and the last bite of chicken is consumed. “How’re we feeling?”

There’s a brief pause as everyone gathers their thoughts.

“I was really overwhelmed before,” Yoohyeon admits. “Part of me still can’t believe this is real, that the seven of us are going to stop a Titan from ending the world, but the other part of me is excited.” She looks around at them, her eyes bright. “We get to do some real good, instead of just staying here and training. And yeah, it’s really dangerous, but isn’t this exactly what we’ve been training all these years for?”

Yoohyeon is right. Minji feels the confidence and certainty in her words settle in her bones. All Minji’s ever wanted is to do good, to help people where she can and give them her absolute best, and this is what she’s been training for, in her heart, mind, and body.

“I felt the same,” Siyeon confesses, shifting in her chair, and despite their years as close friends, Minji has to remind herself that despite her height and muscular stature, Siyeon is as human as the rest of them. Siyeon is just so _big_ , it’s easy to forget sometimes that she feels fear just as much as any of them. “But then, Yoohyeon got to me.” She smiles at her girlfriend toothily. “She’s infectious, this one.”

Minji grins; they all do. Yoohyeon fits the daughter of Apollo mold to a T; her bright enthusiasm and blinding smiles are infectious, and her upbeat, sunny personality have brought each of them out of countless stormy days. Minji is already feeling better about the quest, and it hadn’t taken Yoohyeon more than a few sentences.

“That she is,” Bora smiles, leaning over to kiss Yoohyeon’s lips.

Handong pretends to gag.

“Get a room,” she sticks her tongue out at them.

Bora’s eyes glint with challenge, and the Cupid’s bow of her lips curls into a smirk.

“I’ll show you something to get a room for.”

Bora pushes back her chair, stands, and swings her leg over Yoohyeon’s lap, straddling her, and kisses Yoohyeon, deep and dirty. Yoohyeon’s cheeks flush bright red as she plays along, returning the kiss just as filthily.

From the side, Siyeon wolf-whistles, cheering on her girlfriends, her eyes dark and hungry as she rakes her gaze over the two of them.

Yubin chokes on her tongue, a blush burning high on her cheekbones as she averts her gaze. Minji is laughing, but the heat blooming in her chest as she tears her eyes away is reminding her exactly what she and Yubin had been doing before they were interrupted.

“Not here, come on! We were just eating, let me digest in peace,” Handong protests, a look of faux-disgust on her face. She isn’t fooling anyone though; her eyes are crinkled with laughter and there’s a smile curving at the edges of her lips. Gahyeon is laughing too, covering her eyes and pink cheeks with her hands.

With an exaggerated sigh from Bora and a needy whine from Yoohyeon, they separate reluctantly, breathing hard. Bora’s eyes are gleaming with playful satisfaction and Yoohyeon looks absolutely dazed, her eyes glazed and lips swollen.

“Yah!” Minji says, trying to suppress her laughter. “Save it for later!”

“Save it for later, she says,” Handong’s eyes sparkle with mischief. “You guys should’ve seen the state she and Yubin were in when Gahyeon and I got here,” she cackles. “I’ve never seen them so flustered!”

Minji throws a platter at her.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“Yubin-ah,” Minji murmurs, tucking her chin into the crook of her girlfriend’s neck and pressing a kiss to the skin there. “What time is it?”

They’re cuddling in Yubin’s bed, finally alone in the cabin once more; dinner has been cleaned up and their teammates have returned to their own cabins.

Yubin checks her watch.

“It’s only eight-thirty,” she wraps her arm around Minji, absentmindedly trailing her fingers up and down Minji’s back.

“I’m so tired from earlier,” Minji hums, shivers running up her spine from Yubin’s touch. “But it’s still early. We can’t be too well-rested for the quest.”

Minji’s teasing now, a playful smile tilting her lips. Yubin picks up on it quickly; as tired as they are from the chaos of the day, they’re both still very on edge from being interrupted so many times.

“No,” Yubin agrees, shifting so she’s on top of Minji, looking down at her with heat-filled eyes. “We can’t have that.”

Minji giggles.

“We certainly can’t.”

Minji lifts her head and Yubin meets her halfway, connecting their lips in a searing kiss that sends wildfire crackling down Minji’s spine and between her thighs. The aching need to touch Yubin’s skin and devour every inch of her has Minji flipping them over and blazing a trail of greedy kisses down Yubin’s neck and clavicle.

“I have been waiting,” Minji pants between kisses, “all day to touch you like this.”

Yubin whines, arching her chest into Minji’s lips, a clear indication of where she wants her mouth to go next. Minji curls her fingers under the thin material of Yubin’s sleep shirt, pulling it over her head, and the twin glints of silver in the dim light drives her half out of her mind with desire.

She kisses her way down the valley between Yubin’s breasts, reveling in the sound of Yubin’s sighs as her hands come up to wind in Minji’s hair.

When Minji wraps her lips around Yubin’s nipple and sucks, cold metal against her tongue, Yubin moans, a choked and breathless “ _please_ ,” spilling from her parted lips as her hips grind up towards Minji’s, desperate for friction.

“Don’t worry, baby,” Minji punctuates her words with a tug of Yubin’s nipple between her teeth, her tongue flicking at the little silver barbell. “I’ve got you.”

She slides her thigh between Yubin’s legs, and the hitch-pitched moan Yubin lets out as she grinds her clit against it has Minji’s fingers tightening against her skin, has her own clit throbbing with need, and it takes an extreme effort of will to refocus on pleasuring Yubin, to bringing her to the very edge of absolute bliss and tipping her over the edge.

Minji nips and sucks until Yubin’s breasts are spit-slick and reddened, the twin silver barbells wet and shining from all the attention, until Yubin’s thighs are shaking, her cries devolving into breathless sobs that tell Minji exactly how close she is.

“Not yet,” Minji teases, shifting so her thigh is out of the reach of Yubin’s hips.

“Fuck, Minji, please,” Yubin begs, hips chasing Minji’s thigh instinctively. “I’m so close.”

“I know,” Minji murmurs reassuringly. She takes a moment to rake her gaze over Yubin’s body, over the way her throat flexes as she swallows, the deep flush on her cheekbones and chest, the slope of her nose and curve of her lips, the way her nipple piercings gleam in the dim light, the flexing of her abdomen as she pants, the way her pupils practically swallow her irises with want, and emotion surges in Minji’s chest, a mixture of love and need and admiration. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” Minji breathes, reaching to stroke Yubin’s cheek. “The handsomest thing I’ve ever seen.

Yubin smiles softly and turns her head to kiss Minji’s palm. Her eyes shine with wordless emotion, like stars sparkling, reflecting against the sea at night, and when Minji moves back to slide Yubin’s sleep shorts off, her touch is light, her fingers shaking with reverence.

Minji kisses down Yubin’s abdomen, dipping her tongue in her navel, before continuing further down between her thighs.

Yubin is dripping with need, and when Minji wraps her lips around Yubin’s swollen clit and sucks, her hips buck so wildly that Minji has to wrap her arms around Yubin’s shaking thighs to hold her in place.

A red haze blankets Minji’s vision as she moves even lower, dipping her tongue into Yubin’s cunt, and moaning at the taste of her. Minji’s world narrows, then, to Yubin’s breathy cries, the arch of her spine, and the taste of her on her tongue.

When Yubin comes, it’s with a broken sob of Minji’s name and a gush of warm fluid on her tongue, and Minji keeps licking and sucking, bringing her down gently.

“Fuck, Minji,” Yubin breathes, her chest heaving.

“That good, huh?” Minji teases. She presses one final kiss to Yubin’s cunt, come streaking down her chin and jaw, before crawling back up Yubin’s body to kiss her.

Yubin moans at the taste of herself on Minji’s lips and tongue, licking greedily into Minji’s mouth. A strand of saliva connects their lips when she breaks the kiss, snapping as Yubin leans back to look up at her. Minji swallows hard, the awareness of her own need returning. Her clit is throbbing with the desperate rhythm of its own heartbeat, want fogging her brain and crackling through her limbs.

“You know exactly how good you are,” Yubin says silkily, her eyes darkening when the telltale flush blooms across Minji’s cheeks at the praise.

Minji swallows hard, her breath hitching in her throat.

“I forget, sometimes,” Minji looks down, embarrassed.

“Kim Minji,” Yubin’s voice is rough and cracked with want, and _firm_ , like it is when she’s about to tell Minji what a good girl she is, when she’s about to tell her exactly how to take her fingers, exactly what orders to obey. “What did Suyeon tell you today? How did she reassure you?”

Minji’s eyebrows shoot up; her thoughts are so bent and hazy, she has no idea how Yubin has the wherewithal to be so coherent.

“That I’m a leader,” Minji says shakily, “that I lead every single day, that I was chosen by the prophecy to lead for a reason.”

Yubin smiles at her with a hungry mix of affection and want.

“You see?” she reaches up to stroke her cheeks. “Suyeon knows, the prophecy knows, _I_ know what a good leader you are, how strong you are. And if I have to remind you every single day how incredible you are, I will.”

Minji’s breath catches in her throat, love and appreciation and gratitude swelling in her chest and the back of her throat.

“Let me take care of you,” Yubin murmurs, gently maneuvering them so she’s on top once again. She pulls Minji’s shirt off and throws it carelessly behind her. “Let me show you how good you are.”

Minji nods rapidly, wordlessly, as Yubin begins kissing her way down her body.

“You’re so beautiful,” Yubin breathes between kisses. She licks a line up Minji’s sternum, gently blowing a stream of cool air across the wet skin, smiling when Minji shivers.

When Yubin captures Minji’s nipple between her lips and sucks, Minji can’t hold back a moan, heat searing through her veins. Her hand comes up instinctively to cover her mouth.

To Minji’s dismay, Yubin withdraws immediately, reaching up to lace their fingers together and bring their hands back down.

“Keep that pretty mouth open, baby,” Yubin strokes the back of Minji’s hand with her thumb. “You always sound so good for me; I want to hear you.”

Minji’s clit throbs desperately at the praise, and she grinds her hips upwards, searching for something, anything to grind against.

“Patience,” Yubin chides gently, pressing Minji’s hips back down.

Yubin returns her lips to Minji’s breasts, licking and sucking until Minji’s begging has dissolved into broken moans and needy cries. She slides her hand under the waistband of Minji’s shorts and between her thighs, and Minji is so swollen and sensitive, she nearly comes on the spot.

“Fuck, baby,” Yubin says, awed, running her fingers through Minji’s arousal. “You’re so wet for me.”

Minji nods wordlessly, beyond words.

“I love seeing how needy I make you.”

Yubin slips two fingers into Minji’s cunt, and Minji’s hips practically jump off the bed, her spine arching.

“Fuck, Yubin,” she sobs. “Please, fuck me.”

When Yubin starts thrusting, curling her fingers to graze against the swollen spot on Minji’s front wall, she moans, broken and breathless, tears of sheer pleasure tracking down her face.

“You’re such a good girl,” Yubin praises between thrusts. “The strongest warrior, the kindest, most considerate person I’ve ever known.”

And the way she says it, the words spilling from her lips with so much convictions and sincerity, her eyes filled with pure reverence, like Minji is one of the gods themselves; _Minji believes her_.

Yubin’s lips return to lay a stripe of blazing kisses across Minji’s nipples, and Minji clenches around Yubin’s fingers, white-hot sensation building and stoking between her thighs.

“Look at you, all spread open and begging for me,” Yubin purrs, her lips grazing Minji’s heaving chest. “Such a greedy girl.”

The combination of Yubin’s words – the _praise_ – and the curling of her long, clever fingers, and a swipe of Yubin’s thumb over Minji’s clit has her tipping over the edge. Her vision goes white, cunt clenching hard and fluttering around Yubin’s fingers, drenching her hand and wrist with come.

“That’s it,” Yubin murmurs as she fucks Minji through her orgasm, “That’s my girl.” She reaches up with her free hand to brush stray, sweaty strands of Minji’s hair away from her face, running her fingers over her parted, gasping lips.

Minji doesn’t know how long it takes for her to come down; it could be seconds or hours. Her limbs and heart are light with emotional and physical release, and as she sucks air into her aching lungs, she can’t hold back the tears tracking from the corners of her eyes like cathartic rain.

Yubin withdraws her fingers from Minji’s cunt, wraps her arms around Minji’s shaking shoulders, and kisses the tears from her face until her sobs finally slow and fade away.

“Thank you,” Minji’s voice is cracked and thick with emotion, and she wraps her arms tightly around Yubin’s narrow shoulders, burying her face against her chest.

“Minji,” Yubin’s voice is brimming with emotion. “You never have to thank me for loving you, for taking care of you.”

Minji’s heart swells and surges with so much love and gratitude, she can barely speak past it.

“I love you so much.”

“I love you, too, baby,” Yubin shifts back a little so she can cup Minji’s tear-stained face and tilt it up to her. “Let’s take a shower, maybe? I’ll wash you, clean you up, and then we can go to sleep.”

“Are you sure?” Minji asks, voice thready. “You showered already today.”

“Shower for the second time today, but with the love of my life?” Yubin smiles. “What a burden,” her eyes are crinkled, glinting with playful teasing. “Of course, I’m sure.”

Yubin untangles herself from Minji and climbs off the bed, holding her hand out for Minji to take.

“Come on,” she encourages gently.

Minji reaches up and links their fingers, and Yubin tugs her up, wrapping her arm around her bare waist, fingers still warm and just a little sticky. They walk to the bathroom on shaky legs, still weak with pleasure.

The bathroom is as opulent as it’s ever been, all marble countertops and gilded porcelain and private showers. Yubin picks the shower closest to the door and holds the door open for Minji, following her inside and closing the door behind them. She turns the knob on the wall, and as warm water rains down on them, she embraces Minji once more, holding her almost like they’re slow-dancing. Minji’s eyelids flutter closed, and she leans the side of her head against Yubin’s.

Yubin turns them gently, angling Minji under the warm spray of water, and presses a kiss to her temple.

“I’ve got you.”

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The door of the Hecate cabin closes behind Minji and Yubin with a shuddering sort of finality that Minji thinks suits their quest fairly well, but she refuses to let it ruin her good mood. She had slept the best she’s ever had in Yubin’s arms after their shower, and they’d woken up well-rested and ready to save the world.

Minji’s double-sided spear is sheathed on each of her hips, one end in each sheath. It’s much easier to carry this way, especially since her gear pack is heavy on her back. It’ll get lighter, though, once she puts her armour on.

Yubin’s pack is also on her back, heavy with armour, equipment, and food, but her hands are bare and empty; she and her magic are worth a phalanx of weapons.

“We never arranged a meeting spot last night,” Minji realizes. “We’ll have to gather the rest of the team individually before we can go. And we have to find Hyejoo, too, for the location of the cave.”

“You want me to find Hyejoo while you gather the members?” Yubin offers. “That way we can save some time.”

“That would be perfect,” Minji smiles gratefully. “I’ll get everyone to meet at the gates of the camp, okay?”

“Sounds good,” Yubin pecks Minji’s lips. “See you there.”

“See you soon,” Minji squeezes Yubin’s hand.

Yubin heads off in the direction of the Big Three cabins, and Minji walks down the path towards the Demeter cabin.

The communal area outside the cabins is relatively empty; most everyone has likely already eaten breakfast and gone to their morning activities and training, so it’s easy to spot Handong and Gahyeon in the greenhouse next to the Demeter cabin.

The greenhouse is practically exploding with colour. Lush flowers and plants take up almost every spare inch of the crowded space, and Minji stares in wonder as she heads towards her friends.

As Minji gets closer, she can see Handong and Gahyeon standing next to each other in front of a bed of sapling flowers, heads close together. As Minji watches, Handong coaxes the sapling closest to her into growth, with soft hums and weaving delicate patterns in the air with her fingers. Buds sprout from the sapling’s stems and bloom into brilliant flowers. A miniature storm cloud hovers over the plant bed, raining tiny droplets of water onto the saplings to aid their growth, courtesy of Gahyeon.

“Good morning, you two,” Minji smiles at them fondly.

The two of them look over, surprised.

“Hey, Minji,” Gahyeon says. “Is it time to go?”

“It is,” Minji nods. “Can you guys come to the front gate in fifteen minutes or so?”

“Definitely, yeah,” Handong waves her hand, and her growth magic fades away. She pushes back from the table. “Our stuff is here already; we’ll be right there.”

“Perfect,” Minji smiles. “See you there.”

“See you soon!” Gahyeon grins, dismissing her storm cloud with a quick gesture.

Minji exits the greenhouse and walks towards the Apollo cabin in search of Yoohyeon.

She barely has to put any effort into her search, though, because as she heads towards the entrance to the cabin, she spots Yoohyeon sitting on the front steps, serenading Bora with her guitar. Bora is sitting a little lower than her, and their height difference means she has to tilt her head up to meet Yoohyeon’s eyes. They gaze at each other adoringly as Yoohyeon plays and sings an upbeat cover of ‘Wildest Dreams’ by Taylor Swift.

Yoohyeon isn’t consciously using her powers, but the air around her shimmers with light, like even the sun itself has decided to take residence among them so it can listen to Yoohyeon’s sweet voice up close. And Yoohyeon herself is _radiant_ , a smile curling at the edges of her lips as she sings for her girlfriend.

Next to them, Jiwoo is humming along, bopping her head to the beat as she feathers fresh arrows for her bow.

It’s picture-perfect and heartwarmingly sweet, and Minji is loath to interrupt. Unfortunately, they have a quest to embark on and a world to save, so she does.

“Good morning,” Minji smiles softly.

Yoohyeon and Bora look up, surprised. Yoohyeon stops strumming her guitar, her voice trailing off, and just like that, the spell is broken.

“Hey, Minji,” Yoohyeon beams.

“Good morning,” Bora leans over to tap Minji’s foot, smiling good-naturedly.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Minji says, regret colouring her voice. “You sounded incredible.”

“Ah, it’s okay,” Yoohyeon waves her off. “I’m guessing it’s time to go?”

“It is, yeah. Is your stuff ready?”

“We’re good to go,” Bora confirms. “Our packs are just inside.”

“Awesome,” Minji says. “Can you guys be at the front gate in fifteen minutes? I still have to find Siyeon and tell her where to go.”

“Definitely,” Bora shades her eyes with her hand as she looks up at Minji. “I think Siyeon went to train and burn off some excess energy; she was up early this morning.”

“Okay, thank you,” Minji adjusts her pack. “See you there.”

“See you!”

Bora and Yoohyeon climb to their feet and enter the Apollo cabin to gather their things.

“Good luck!” Jiwoo smiles at Minji sunnily, leaning back on her hands.

“Thank you,” Minji grins back; Jiwoo’s smile and bright energy are infectious.

“Take care of Yoohyeon for me, okay?” Jiwoo asks, turning serious.

“Always,” Minji’s smile softens.

Satisfied, Jiwoo waves and turns back to her feathering, her eyebrows scrunching in concentration.

Minji turns and heads off to find Siyeon. The camp has two training areas; one behind the Ares and Hephaestus cabins for weight-lifting, and a large, more open area for dueling and archery. Minji isn’t sure which one Siyeon is more likely to be at; Siyeon splits her time between the two of them equally. She decides to check the Area-Hephaestus area first, since it’s closest.

Minji rounds the corner of the Ares cabin, stepping carefully around the spools of barbed wire. Once the training area comes into view, she spots Haerim dead-lifting, her brilliant turquoise hair shining even brighter in the sunlight. Heejin and Sooyoung are spotting each other on the chest press bench, their biceps shining with sweat.

“Hey, guys,” Minji calls as she approaches.

Haerim releases her weights, and Heejin helps Sooyoung rack hers. They turn to her, wiping the sweat off their faces.

“Hi Minji,” Haerim greets. “Do you want to train with us before you leave?” The daughter of Zeus looks eager; it’s been a while since Minji’s trained with them.

“I wish I could,” Minji shakes her head. “I don’t have time; we’re leaving for the quest now. I’m just looking for Siyeon.”

“Hmm,” Sooyoung hums, frowning thoughtfully. “She was here earlier; she woke me up accidentally on her way out of the cabin. Did she say where she was going when she left?” She turns to Heejin.

“I think she said she was going to meet Sookyung at the forge,” Heejin says. “She wanted to make some last-minute adjustments to her wolf claw.”

“Okay, perfect,” Minji says. “Thanks, guys.”

“No prob,” Heejin replies. “Come by soon when you get back, okay?” The daughter of Hephaestus rests her hands on her hips.

“We’d love to train again with you,” Sooyoung smiles, her bunny teeth flashing adorably.

“I will,” Minji promises.

“Can you tell Sookyung to come by before noon?” Haerim leans on the fence bordering the training area. “She’s been really stressed out lately, and I want to take her out for lunch.”

“Of course,” Minji smiles.

“Thanks, Minji,” Haerim smiles gratefully.

“It’s my pleasure.”

Satisfied, the three demigods return to their workout.

Five minutes later, Minji is entering the forge, wincing at the sweltering heat that greets her. Like the Hecate cabin, the forge is much larger on the inside than it is on the outside. Seething vats of bubbling liquid line the walls. There’s a large firepit and anvil by the back, and individual workbenches take up the rest of the space. The light is tinted deep orange from the firepit, and sparks and ash drift aimlessly through the air.

Siyeon is standing at Sookyung’s workbench, facing away from Minji. She’s wearing a her favourite pair of jeans, and sleeveless shirt that shows off her broad shoulders and muscular triceps. Her long black hair is up in a messy bun, showing off the shaved patterns of her undercut, her silver piercings glinting in the firelight.

Before Minji can approach, sweat beading on her forehead, Sookyung, who’s standing at the firepit, holding a pair of tongs, twists around to greet her.

“Hi, Minji!”

Sookyung is wearing a white crop top under a pair of denim overalls done up with only one strap, her face and muscular arms shining with sweat. The dyed-green locks of her bangs are brushed away from her eyes. Her face glows orange from the fire, and the light casts her features in shadow, her eyes glinting with it, and the sight of her like this, all glowing skin and arching shadows has her looking like a god herself.

Sookyung grins, energetic and happy, and her intimidating air is shattered. She carefully places the tongs down and heads over to Minji, wiping her hands on a towel.

“Hey, Sookyung,” Minji smiles. “How’s it going?” She gestures at Siyeon.

“It’s going well! She’s almost finished,” Sookyung tucks the towel into the pocket of her overalls. “She and I have been working on the secondary enchantment for the claw since I helped her make it; she’s just putting the final touches on it now.”

“What’s the enchantment?” Minji asks curiously.

“I’ll let Siyeon show you, I don’t want to spoil the reveal,” the daughter of Hephaestus smiles mysteriously.

“Fair enough,” Minji concedes.

As they watch, Siyeon steps around the workbench, setting a miniature Celestial Bronze chisel down and picking up a hammer. After tapping at the claw carefully for a moment, she puts the hammer down and picks up the claw. It looks tiny in her large hands, and Minji smiles at the sight of Siyeon, tall and intimidating and muscular, carefully poring over her invention with so much gentleness.

_Truly a gentle giant._

Nodding to herself, still in her own world, Siyeon holds the claw with a single hand and flicks her wrist. The claw expands into Siyeon’s greatsword with a speed that has Minji’s eyes widening.

Siyeon tests out the heft, switching it from hand to hand, before taking a deep breath.

“Moment of truth,” Sookyung murmurs.

Siyeon flicks her wrist again, and the hilt narrows and lengthens drastically, the blade itself shrinking until barely a second later, Siyeon is holding a spear. She grins at her success, sighing with relief.

Siyeon flexes her wrist again, and the spear shrinks into an infantry sword. Again, and it becomes a round shield. Again, and it returns to its claw form.

“Holy shit,” Minji breathes.

“Incredible, right?” Sookyung grins proudly. “She’s been working really hard on this; I’m glad she was able to finish in time.”

“Me too,” Minji says, awed.

Just then, Siyeon looks up to see the two of them watching her. Her grin widens.

“We did it!” She says excitedly, full of triumph.

“ _You_ did it,” Sookyung waves her off. “I just gave you a hand here and there.”

Siyeon reattaches the claw to her necklace and bounds over to Sookyung. She throws her arms around her, squeezing tightly.

“Thank you so much,” Siyeon says, her voice saturated with gratitude.

“It was my pleasure,” Sookyung hugs her back. “I can’t wait to hear all about how it works in the field when you get back.”

“I’ll write you a full report,” Siyeon reassures, ruffling Sookyung’s hair.

“Excellent,” Sookyung says approvingly. “I don’t want to keep you guys any longer, good luck on the quest!”

“Thank you,” Minji smiles.

Siyeon approaches one of the unoccupied workbenches and grabs her pack from next to it, hoisting it on her back with little effort.

“Haerim asked me to tell you to come by the training center by Ares and Hephaestus before noon,” Minji says. “She wants to take you on a date for lunch.”

“Thanks, Minji,” Sookyung smiles widely, her eyes softening. “I will.”

“Perfect,” Minji says. “Enjoy! We’ll see you when we get back.”

“See you then!” Sookyung heads back to the firepit, cracking her knuckles, before picking up her tongs once more.

“Thanks for coming by,” Siyeon says as she and Minji exit the forge. “I got a little carried away and lost track of time.”

“That’s okay,” Minji reassures her. “It looks incredible; I’m really impressed. I can’t wait to see it in action.”

“Thank you,” Siyeon beams, her lips curving in a heart-shaped smile. “I can’t wait, either.”

After a beat of silence, Minji speaks up again.

“We’re meeting the others at the front gate,” she says. “Hopefully, they’ll already be there.”

“Sounds good,” Siyeon says. ‘Have you eaten yet today?”

Minji blinks, realizing that, in fact, she hasn’t.

“Not yet, but I have a bunch of food in my pack,” Minji says. “I’ll eat on the way.”

“Okay, if you’re sure,” Siyeon’s voice is a little worried.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay,” Minji reassures. “I’ve got a big stash.” She winks.

Siyeon hums under her breath, cheerful and upbeat as they walk.

It only takes a few minutes for them to arrive at the gate. To Minji’s relief, Bora, Handong, Yoohyeon, Yubin, and Gahyeon are there waiting for them, talking and joking as they put on their armour.

“Hey, guys,” Minji smiles at her team, setting her pack on the ground.

The members chorus a tangle of greetings, tinged with both excitement and nerves.

“Hey, baby,” Yubin gives Minji a kiss, slipping a plastic bag into her hands. “I snuck by the kitchens to grab us some food.”

“Thank you,” Minji smiles gratefully, affection for her girlfriend blooming in her chest.

She examines the bag; Yubin’s packed her a sandwich, an apple, a banana, and some slightly squashed pancakes.

“Have you eaten?” She asks.

“Yep, I ate while I waited for everyone to get here,” Yubin tucks a lock of Minji’s hair behind her ear. “Eat up and get your armour on, and I’ll tell everyone what Hyejoo told me.”

“Okay,” Minji sits down on the grass. She opens the bag, pulling out the pancakes first, and begins to eat, watching as her members talk and laugh and flirt, their energy and tension rising.

Once she finishes eating, Minji tosses the bag in the trash can by the gate, and starts pulling on her armour, sliding on her gauntlets and greaves and tying her breastplate tight against her with practiced movements.

Once she’s ready, she turns to the rest of her team and lets out an ear-piercing whistle. Her members fall silent and approach her, knuckles tight against their equipment.

“This is not how I expected to start my day,” Minji jokes, “But here I am. And here we are. I’m not going to give a lengthy speech, since we still have some details to iron out before we leave, and not a lot of time to complete the quest in. We still have to figure out how we’re going to split up; do you guys have any suggestions?”

“I do,” Bora volunteers. ‘I thought it would be easier if Siyeon, Yoohyeon and I went to find Midas, and Handong, Gahyeon, Yubin, and you find the cave.”

It’s a good idea, Minji thinks, simple and effective, and it keeps the couples – and throuple – together.

“I like it,” Minji approves. “Is everyone okay with that?”

Everyone choruses their agreement. Yoohyeon gives Bora finger guns.

“That just leaves us with the location of the cave. Yubin, what did Hyejoo say?”

Yubin steps up next to Minji.

“Hyejoo told me that she thinks it’s the Aornum cave, the entrance to the Underworld on Earth,” Yubin says. “Apparently, it’s relocated to the North Mount Loretto Forest on Staten Island.”

“The _Underworld_?” Handong’s eyes are wide with fear.

“If you go deep enough down, yeah, you’ll eventually reach the Underworld,” Yubin explains. “From the sound of it, we just have to enter the cave itself. The prophecy doesn’t mention anything about descending into the Underworld, just the cave itself.”

“Okay,” Handong says doubtfully.

“Don’t worry, Dongie,” Minji steps forward to squeeze her hand. “The four of us will be together the whole time; whatever it is that’s in the cave, we’ll face it together, I promise.”

The tension in Handong’s shoulders relaxes, and she smiles at Minji, reassured.

“Okay,” Minji raises her eyebrows, excitement fluttering in her belly. She slings her pack over her shoulders with ease – it’s much easier to carry, now that her armour isn’t inside. “Grab your stuff, guys.”

Minji steps up to the open gate, eyeing the forest that keeps Camp Half-Blood sheltered and hidden away.

“Let’s go save the world.”

**Author's Note:**

> First off, I wanna give a huge shoutout to Sawyer for their help and feedback and endless patience helping me organize this and plot it out; I couldn't have done it without them.
> 
> This AU has been in the works for almost six months, and I'm beyond excited to show you what I have in store for this adventure! I'm not sure how I'm going to schedule updates for this and Raid of Dream, but I'll do my best to make sure the chapters come as relatively regularly as possible. I hope you all enjoy this new adventure even more than I've enjoyed putting it together!
> 
> As always, please feel free to follow me on Twitter @abracadami (I've moved accounts to an entirely new one) for fic tweets and writing updates, and frequent gay-panicking over Dreamcatcher! Feel free to drop any questions into my dms or cc if you're shy!


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